Alaska · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Alaska

Top 23 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

Compiled by PlainSchools Editorial, K12 Schools Editorial Team · June 10, 2026

The ranking in one line

Galena City School District in Galena leads Alaska's districts with an average school quality score of 48.8/100 across 4 schools.

48.8/100
top district score (grade D): 4
schools in Galena City School District: 7,177
students in the top district: 34/100
average across the top 23

#	District	Grade	Students	Schools	Avg S:T	Per-Pupil $	Avg Quality
1	Galena City School District Galena	D	7,177	4	40.6:1	$5,620	48.8
2	Kodiak Island Borough School District Kodiak	D	2,228	12	15:1	$24,046	45.3
3	Yukon-Koyukuk School District Fairbanks	D	3,100	10	19.4:1	$11,001	40.5
4	Sitka School District Sitka	D	1,120	6	11.6:1	$24,011	40.3
5	Valdez City School District Valdez	F	653	4	22.9:1	$25,178	39
6	Juneau Borough School District Juneau	F	4,338	15	19.7:1	$20,765	38.9
7	Bering Strait School District Unalakleet	F	1,830	15	10.1:1	$41,210	38.7
8	Denali Borough School District Healy	F	912	4	36.6:1	$10,762	37.3
9	Anchorage School District Anchorage	F	43,727	95	19.1:1	$17,200	35.5
10	Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Fairbanks	F	12,703	33	41.6:1	$18,816	35.3
11	Southwest Region School District Dillingham	F	631	8	11.2:1	$44,038	34.3
12	Craig City School District Craig	F	668	4	30.4:1	$13,532	34
13	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Palmer	F	19,705	49	21.8:1	$16,171	33.9
14	Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Ketchikan	F	2,074	9	19.6:1	$23,355	31.9
15	Chugach School District Anchorage	F	637	4	21.8:1	$13,458	31.8
16	Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Soldotna	F	8,528	42	15.8:1	$20,242	30.3
17	Nome Public Schools Nome	F	719	4	14:1	$24,927	29.5
18	North Slope Borough School District Utqiagvik	F	2,044	11	16.7:1	$39,365	27.8
19	Northwest Arctic Borough School District Kotzebue	F	1,911	13	19:1	$39,628	26.8
20	Lower Yukon School District Mountain Village	F	2,035	11	18.2:1	$39,603	24.5
21	Delta/Greely School District Delta Junction	F	938	5	56:1	$16,980	23.4
22	Nenana City School District Nenana	F	1,858	2	90.8:1	$8,781	23
23	Lower Kuskokwim School District Bethel	F	3,970	29	17.4:1	$41,931	22.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Alaska? ▼

The top-ranked district in Alaska is Galena City School District in Galena with 7,177 students across 4 schools. Average quality score: 48.8/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated? ▼

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Alaska? ▼

Alaska has 23+ school districts serving 130,718 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 20:1.

Explore More for Alaska

All Schools → Best Schools → Highest Spending → Funding Equity → Absenteeism Data →

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.